Plasma Display Panel Drive Circuit and Plasma Display Device

1. A plasma display panel drive circuit, in which multiple scan electrodes included in a plasma display panel is divided into at least first and second scan electrode groups, and a setup pulse is supplied in a setup period, scan pulses are supplied in a scan period and sustain pulses are supplied in a sustain period, the plasma display panel drive circuit, comprising: a first scan electrode group drive section, including a scan peak potential producing section to produce a predetermined peak potential, operable to produce scan pulses based on the scan peak potential and to supply the scan pulses to said first scan electrode group in a first sub-scan period within the scan period; a second scan electrode group drive section operable to produce scan pulses based on the scan peak potential of said scan peak potential producing section and to supply the scan pulses to said second scan electrode group in a second sub-scan period after the first sub-scan period within the scan period; and a complex switch section operable to supply the scan peak potential of said scan peak potential producing section to said second scan electrode group drive section in the second sub-scan period within the scan period, wherein said complex switch section includes an inter-group switch section operable to supply and shut off the scan peak potential of said scan peak potential producing section to said second scan electrode group drive section, and wherein said inter-group switch section is turned off in the first sub-scan period and turned on in the second sub-scan period.

2. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising: a sustain pulse producing section operable to produce sustain pulses, wherein said complex switch section supplies the sustain pulses of said sustain pulse producing section to said first and second scan electrode group drive sections in the sustain period, and said first and second scan electrode group drive sections supply the sustain pulses from said complex switch section to said first and second scan electrode groups.

3. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 2 , wherein said complex switch section comprises: a first group switch section operable to supply and to shut off the sustain pulses of said sustain pulse producing section to said first scan electrode group drive section, and a second group switch section operable to supply and to shut off the sustain pulses of said sustain pulse producing section to said second scan electrode group drive section.

4. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said inter-group switch section is turned off in the sustain period.

5. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said first scan electrode group drive section: includes a first scan reference voltage supply operable to supply a predetermined scan reference voltage and produces scan pulses by producing a scan reference potential having a potential difference of the scan reference voltage with respect to the scan peak potential in the direction of the potential of the setup pulse at the time when the absolute value of the setup pulse becomes maximum and by carrying out switching between the scan peak potential and the scan reference potential in the first sub-scan period, and said second scan electrode group drive section: includes a second scan reference voltage supply operable to supply a predetermined scan reference voltage and produces scan pulses by producing a scan reference potential having a potential difference of the scan reference voltage with respect to the scan peak potential in the direction of the potential of the setup pulse at the time when the absolute value of the setup pulse becomes maximum and by carrying out switching between the scan peak potential and the scan reference potential in the second sub-scan period.

6. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said second scan electrode group drive section: includes a second scan reference voltage supply operable to supply a predetermined scan reference voltage and produces a predetermined reference raising potential between the setup peak potential representing the potential of the setup pulse at the time when the absolute value of the setup pulse becomes maximum and the scan reference potential having a potential difference of the scan reference voltage in the direction of the setup peak potential with respect to the scan peak potential in the first sub-scan period.

7. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 6 , wherein said second scan electrode group drive section produces a reference raising potential having a potential difference of the scan reference voltage in the direction of the setup peak potential with respect to the ground potential.

8. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 6 , wherein said second scan electrode group drive section: includes an offset potential producing section operable to produce a predetermined offset potential and produces a reference raising potential having a potential difference of the scan reference voltage in the direction of the setup peak potential with respect to the offset potential.

9. The plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 6 , further comprising: an offset potential producing section operable to produce a predetermined offset potential, wherein said offset potential producing section supplies the offset potential to said second scan electrode group drive section via said complex switch section, and said second scan electrode group drive section produces a reference raising potential having a potential difference of the scan reference voltage in the direction of the setup peak potential with respect to the offset potential.

10. A plasma display device, comprising: a plasma display panel having scan electrodes, sustain electrodes and data electrodes, discharge cells being formed at the intersection portions of said scan electrodes, said sustain electrodes and said data electrodes; and said plasma display panel drive circuit according to claim 1 for driving said plasma display panel.

11. The plasma display device according to claim 10 , wherein said discharge cells of said plasma display panel are filled with a discharge gas containing xenon and the partial pressure of the xenon in the discharge gas is 7% or more.

12. The plasma display device according to claim 10 , wherein said plasma display panel drive circuit performs driving based on a single scan system operable to sequentially supply a scan pulse to the respective scan electrodes in the scan period.

13. The plasma display device according to claim 10 , wherein said plasma display panel is composed of one million or more pixels.